Lathing forming apparatus



April 9, 1963 Filed Jan. 25. 1960 A. H. YAEGER LATHING FORMING APPARATUS,

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April 9, 1963 A. H. YAEGER LATHING FORMING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 25. 1960 f y y M M ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,084,729 Patented Apr. 9, 1963 3,684,720 LATHING FORMENG APPARATUS Adolph H. Yaeger, Santa Clara, Caiif., assignor to Keystone Steel & Wire Company, Peoria, 11., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 25, 1969, Ser. No. 4,248 (Ilaims. (til. 140-3) This invention relates to lathing forming apparatus and more particularly to a machine for automatically and continuously forming paper backed metal mesh lathing.

Paper backed metal mesh lathing has found increasing acceptance in the plastering industry, both for interior work and for exterior stucco work. One type of lathing which has been found very successful is that particularly described and claimed in the patent of Dahlhauser and Yaeger, No. 2,929,239. In such lathing, a metal mesh fabric overlies one face of a paper sheet and is secured thereto by retaining wires on the other face of the sheet extending through openings in the sheet and secured to the fabric as by intertwisting therewith. A second imperforate sheet is adhesively secured over the first paper sheet and the retaining wires to provide an imperforate vapor barrier. The present invention relates particularly to a machine for forming lathing of this type.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide lathing forming apparatus in which paper backed metal mesh lathing is formed rapidly and continuously in an automatic manner.

Another object is to provide lathing forming apparatus in which the paper sheets, wire mesh fabric and retaining wires are fed continuously over rollers on which they are assembled with the retaining wires being intertwisted with the fabric and with the second paper sheet adhesively secured to the first paper sheet over the retaining wires.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of apparatus embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial elevation of the depressor roll;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged partial elevation of a portion of the depressor roller;

FIGURE 4 is a view of a twister head with one side removed;

FIGURE 5 is a partial diagrammatic view showing the twister head operating cam and rack;

FIGURE 6 is a partial side elevation showing the stripping mechanism;

FIGURE 7 is a partial elevation of a completed section of lathing formed on the machine of the invention; and

FIGURE 8 is a section through the completed lathing.

Referring first to FIGURES 7 and 8, the completed lathing is formed by a metal mesh fabric, indicated generally at 10, which is preferably a hexagonal twisted fabric, including a plurality of parallel wires twisted together in pairs at twist points 11 and spread between the twist points to define a hexagonal mesh. The fabric is reinforced periodically throughout its width by line wires 12 which extend along the fabric and intertwisted with the meshdefining wires at certain of the twist points 13. Fabric of this type is well known in the art and requires no further description.

The metal mesh fabric is secured over one face of a backing sheet 14 formed of paper, or similar material, and preferably untreated so that plaster will adhere to it. The sheet 14 is formed at spaced points with slits 15 which register with stretches of the line Wires 12 between adjacent twist points 13. To secure the fabric to the backing sheet 14, retainer wires or belly band wires 16 extend along the opposite face of the sheet 14 in registration with the line wires 12 and extend periodically through the slits 15 to be intertwisted with the line wires 12 at twist points 17. With this construction, the fabric is securely held on the backing sheet but is capable of limited movement relative to the backing sheet to give it a certain desired degree of flexibility for installation.

The lathing is completed by a second backing sheet 18 which is adhesively secured to the back of the first backing sheet 14 overlying the retaining wires 16. The second backing sheet 18 is preferably of waterproofed paper to provide a vapor barrier.

The machine of the present invention, on which this lathing material is formed, is shown generally in FIG- URE l as comprising an upright frame 21 for supporting rolls of paper 22 and 23 of the type employed in the backing sheet 14. Two rolls are shown for formation of two strips of lat-hing simultaneously side by side in the apparatus although this is not essential.

As shown, paper from the roll 22 is taken off from the bottom of the roll, as indicated at 24, and is passed over a back up roller 25, which is engaged by an oifset printing roller 26. In passing around the roller 25, the paper will be printed and then passed back around the roll and again off the bottom of the roll over the top of a guide roll 27. Paper from the roll 23 may be printed by similar printing mechanism, not shown, and directed over the guide roll 27. The paper is held on the guide roll 27 by a retaining roll 28 which carries slitting knives to form the slits 15 and passes vertically downward between the guide roll and retaining roll onto and beneath \a depressor roll 29.

As the paper passes under the depressor roll, it passes over a conveyor 31 which is formed at a plurality of spaced points in its length with twister heads 32 of conventional construction. The twister heads are preferably made, as best seen in FIGURE 4, with open slots in their tops and with cavities receiving pinions 33 which are also formed with slots extending diametrically partially therethrough. The pinions 33 mesh with racks 34 which are slidable in grooves in the twister heads and which will turn the pinions when the racks are moved longitudinally. As best seen in FIGURE 5, each rack carries a follower roller 35 engageable with a stationary cam plate 36 fixedly mounted adjacent to the conveyor so that the racks will be moved lengthwise to operate the twister heads as the conveyor moves. 7

The paper sheet from either roll 22 or 23- is adapted to be placed over a sheet of metal mesh fabric 10 which is fed into the apparatus from any desired source beneath the lower roll 23, as seen in FIGURE 1. The metal mesh fabric is fed over a toothed feed roller 37 which is driven in synch-ronism with the depressor roller and conveyor and which is formed with spaced teeth to enter the openings in the fabric and move it positively in synchronism with the paper. A depressor wheel 38 is preferably provided to force the fabric onto the projecting teeth on the drive roller 37 and to prevent the fabric from accidentally slipping from the drive roller.

The fabric is fed onto the conveyor 31 with the mesh openings therein registering with the twister heads 32 which also register with the slits in the paper backing sheet. The twister heads are so positioned that they will receive line wires 12 in the slots in the gears 3-3, as shown in FIGURE 4, ready to intertwist the retaining wires therewith.

The retaining wires are fed into the machine over the top of the depressor roller 29 and pass between the depressor roller and the paper backing sheet in registration with the line wires 12 of the fabric. As best seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, the depressor roller 29 is formed with spaced pins 39 the tips of which are slanted and staggered successively in opposite directions and which lie at circumferentially opposite sides of openings 41 in the depressor roller which are spaced to receive the twister heads 32. As the retaining wires 16 are fed overthe depressor roller they will be engaged by the staggered tips of pins 39 and guidedthereby to the sides of the pins as shown to be formed with offsets therein registering with the openings 41 in the depressor roller. The retaining wires will also enter the slots in the gears 33 of the twister heads above the line wires 12, as seen in FIGURE 4, so that when the gears 33 are rotated by action of the racks 34, the line wires and retaining wires will be twisted together to form the twist points 17. The offsets formed in the retainer Wires by the pins 39 not only provide slack for the twisting operation, but also provide sufiicient slack in the retainer wires to enable them to extend through the slits in the backing sheet 14, as shown in FIGURE 8.

The assembly of the backing sheet 14, the metal mesh fabric and the retainer wires 16 is stripped from the twister heads and from the conveyor by stripping means best seen in FIGURE 6. As shown, the stripping means comprise brackets 42 secured to the cross pieces of the conveyor 31 and having yokes 43 pivotally connected thereto. Each yoke, as shown, extends downward, straddling the brackets 42 and then upward to terminate in a stripper point 44 lying adjacent to and normally below the tip of each twister head. Each yoke 43 also carries a cam plate 45 at its lower surface adapted to engage a fixed cam roller 46 carried by the conveyor framework so that as the conveyor moves along, each cam plate will engage the cam roller 46 and tilt its yoke clockwise to elevate the stripper point 44 beneath the assembly of backing sheet and fabric and strip it from the conveyor and from the twister heads.

The assembly, after being stripped from the conveyor, passes between a guide and feed rolls 47, as shown in FIGURE 1, and then over a feed roller 48, at which point the second backing sheet is applied. The fabric is held against the feed roller 48 by a nib roll 4.) which is preferably covered with sponge rubber, or similar yielding material, to accommodate the metal mesh fabric.

The second backing sheets 18 are fed from supply rolls 51 supported on an upright frame 52 over the top of the feed roll 48 from the discharge side thereof. As the second backing sheet 18- passes over the feed roll 48, adhesive is applied thereto by spray heads 53 which spray a liquid adhesive onto the inner surface of the second backing sheet 18 which will engage the back of the first backing sheet 14 and the retainer wires. As the second backing sheet and the assembly of the first backing sheet metal mesh fabric and retainer wires pass between the rolls 48 and 49, they will be pressed together, pressing the adhesive on the second backing sheet 18 around the retainer wires 16 and against the surface of the first backing sheet 14 to secure the backing sheets firmly together. The completed assembled lathing may pass from the machine, as shown at 53, to be rolled into rolls for shipment or to be cut into sections, as desired.

It will be seen that the machine of the present invention functions automatically and in a continuous and highly efficient manner to produce paper backed metal mesh lathing as long as the necessary materials are supplied thereto. It will be apparent that details of the construction as illustrated can be modified as desired and it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the exact construction shown nor than otherwise by the term of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. Lathing forming apparatus comprising a roller, means for feeding over the surface of the roller a sheet of wire mesh fabric and a sheet of paper formed with longitudinally extending slits therein registering with certain of the wires of the fabric and with the paper and fabric in overlying face-to-face relationship, means for feeding over the surface of the roller a series of retaining wires on the side of the paper opposite to the fabric and in alignment with the slits in the paper, a series of twister heads adapted to receive and twist together the retaining wires and those certain wires of the fabric, means mounting the twister heads for movement in a path adjacent to the periphery of and synchronously with the roller to receive the retaining wires and said certain of the wires of the fabric and to project through the slits in the paper, the roller surface being formed with means to position the wires in the twister heads, means on the roller to form offsets in the retainer wires in registry with the slits in the paper sheet to provide slack for twisting with the fabric, means driving the roller and twister heads in timed relation with each other, and means operated by movement of the mounting means in said path to strip the twisted wires from the twister heads.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including means beyond the stripping means to feed a second sheet of paper over the first sheet and the retaining wires, means to supply adhesive between the first and second sheets to secure them together, and means to press the sheets together to cause them to adhere to each other.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 including a second roller, means to guide the assembled sheets and retaining wires across the second roller with the retaining wires and paper sheet in contact therewith, means to feed a second sheet of paper over the second roller, and spray devices to spray adhesive on the second sheet as it passes over the second roller to secure it to the first named sheet.

4. Lathing forming apparatus comprising a roller, a conveyor adjacent to the roller and movable in synchronism therewith, means to drive the roller and conveyor in tuned relation with each other, a series of twisting heads on the conveyor, means to feed a wire mesh fabric between the roller and conveyor so that the twisting heads will engage certain of the wires of the fabric, means to feed a sheet of paper over the roller to overlie the fabric, means to feed a plurality of retaining wires over the roller to overlie the sheet of paper and to engage the twisting heads, the paper being longitudinally slit in registry with the twisting heads so that they can extend through the slits and twist the retaining wires with the fabric, means on the roller to form offset bends in the retaining wires registering with the twisting heads to provide slack for twisting with the fabric, and means synchronized with movement of the conveyor to operate the twisting heads.

'5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which the means on the roller for forming offset bends in the retaining wires comprises staggered pins projecting from the roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,485,827 Bull Mar. 4, 1924 1,606,307 Loomis et a1 Nov. 9, 1926 1,690,100 Bull Nov. 6, 1928 1,798,531 Hall Mar. 31, 1931 1,905,086 Gellman Apr. 25, 1933 2,162,818 Martin June 10, 1939 2.922359 Brouse et al. J an. 26, 1960 

1. LATHING FORMING APPARATUS COMPRISING A ROLLER, MEANS FOR FEEDING OVER THE SURFACE OF THE ROLLER A SHEET OF WIRE MESH FABRIC AND A SHEET OF PAPER FORMED WITH LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SLITS THEREIN REGISTERING WITH CERTAIN OF THE WIRES OF THE FABRIC AND WITH THE PAPER AND FABRIC IN OVERLYING FACE-TO-FACE RELATIONSHIP, MEANS FOR FEEDING OVER THE SURFACE OF THE ROLLER A SERIES OF RETAINING WIRES ON THE SIDE OF THE PAPER OPPOSITE TO THE FABRIC AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE SLITS IN THE PAPER, A SERIES OF TWISTER HEADS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND TWIST TOGETHER THE RETAINING WIRES AND THOSE CERTAIN WIRES OF THE FABRIC, MEANS MOUNTING THE TWISTER HEADS FOR MOVEMENT IN A PATH ADJACENT TO THE PERIPHERY OF AND SYNCHRONOUSLY WITH THE ROLLER TO RECEIVE THE RETAINING WIRES AND SAID CERTAIN OF THE WIRES OF THE FABRIC AND TO PROJECT THROUGH THE SLITS IN THE PAPER, THE ROLLER SURFACE BEING FORMED WITH MEANS TO POSITION THE WIRES IN THE TWISTER HEADS, MEANS ON THE ROLLER TO FORM OFFSETS IN THE RETAINER WIRES IN REGISTRY WITH THE SLITS IN THE PAPER SHEET TO PROVIDE SLACK FOR TWISTING WITH THE FABRIC, MEANS DRIVING THE ROLLER AND TWISTER HEADS IN TIMED RELATION WITH EACH OTHER, AND MEANS OPERATED BY MOVEMENT OF THE MOUNTING MEANS IN SAID PATH TO STRIP THE TWISTED WIRES FROM THE TWISTER HEADS. 